Meet Our Staff

John Alleyne, Ph.D.
Extension Director / Commercial Horticulture Agent
(772) 288-5654 jalley05@ufl.edu
As Martin County Extension Director, John oversees a diverse and dynamic staff providing scientific information through various forms to the Martin County community.
He holds a doctorate in plant science from the University of Arkansas. John also holds diplomas for additional training in specialized areas from the University of South Florida, University of Puerto Rico, and Beej Bawan University in India. He has also held various appointments with the Ministry of Agriculture in Trinidad and Tobago, his last appointment was at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Port of Spain. Dr. Alleyne is a recipient of the Florida Association of Natural Resource Extension Professionals/Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Award.

Fred Burkey
Florida Yards & Neighborhoods Agent
(772) 288-5654 burkey@ifas.ufl.edu
Fred heads the Florida Yards & Neighborhoods (FYN) program at the Martin County Extension Service. He hosts a local television program, "Your Florida Yard." He was raised in Martin County and a graduate of Martin County High School and Florida State University with graduate studies at the University of Florida. He is a second generation flower grower and horticulturist and served on the board of directors of the Florida Ornamental Growers Association. He was a founding member of the Florida Organic Recycling Association and an assistant editor of DEP's "Recycling Yard Trash" best management practices for Florida.

Cindy Harris
4-H Youth Programs Agent
(772) 288-5655
LJH@ifas.ufl.edu

Chris Kilbride, MS, CFCS
Family & Consumer Sciences Agent
(772) 288-5656 kilbride@ifas.ufl.edu
Joining Martin County in 1983, Chris teaches topics "inside the home" like financial management, nutrition, Restaurant Manager's Food Safety Certification, housing, and even hurricane preparation. Among her clientele are volunteers, youth, parents, seniors, felons, drug and alcohol group homes, mentally challenged and at-risk youth. Her "Decisions for Independent Living" 8-part series, won a National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Science's Southern Region National Award for educational programming. Chris is also proud to be Agent Advisor to the Sunshine Home & Community Educator volunteers, who donate over 1,000 hours yearly to this program and community. She holds a Masters degree in Family Resource Management from the University of Tennessee.

Mary McNulty
Administrative Assistant
(772) 288-5654
mbmcnulty@ifas.ufl.edu

Wendy Pattison
Master Gardener Coordinator / Extension Program Assistant
(772) 288-5654
wjpattison@ifas.ufl.edu

Pat Bonis
Florida Yards & Neighborhood Extension Program Assistant
(772) 288-5654
thapeej@ufl.edu